It took me about a week to adjust to the timezone here. With London being 11 hours behind Sydney, I’d always find myself waking up in the middle of the night only to doze off in the afternoon…I’ve gotten out of that routine now (thank goodness!) The weather on the other hand, is something Im still having trouble adjusting to. Saying London is cold would be a complete understatement! It is absolutely freeeezing here brRr! And this is meant to be considered warm.. what the?! I find that the cold tends to make me eat a lot more than I usually do (as per Michael’s FB status update), and for those of you who know me well, you’ll know that means a sh*t load of food – all unhealthy for that matter…greasy pub food and the like. Subsequently, it has made me ‘fuller-figured’ so excuse the roundedness – suppose I could do with the extra insulation.

But despite the horrendous weather, London is awesome with its leafy European streets filled with various little funky pubs and not to mention the endless amount of things to do here! Im really loving the experience so far. Sure its hard being out here on my own but I’m taking this as a learning curve. I’ve embraced my independence and will just take each day as it comes. It was quite daunting heading over here with no set plans in place…but it looks like I’ve been able to master the art of WINGING IT! Its liberating and exciting to be able to have this opportunity to not only discover myself, but the world around me. I want to explore, be challenged, meet new people, let go of my limitations, release my inhibitions and ultimately have the biggest adventure of my life!!

Getting up close and personal

So being the true tourist that I am, we hopped on one of those big bus tours which takes you around London. Mind you, half those attractions John had already shown us – kudos to you mister! The only addition was probably a cruise along the River Thames. Nevertheless, it was still a good day of sightseeing. Oh and must I add, the public transport here is amazing. I’ve gotten my head around how the tube works and am absolutely loving the efficiency of the trains…sorry to say Sydney, but your transport system sucks!!

Meanwhile, just as I was beginning to regret declining 3 previous job offers, I have landed myself a role at Accenture – looking to start next week if all goes to plan. Definitely can’t wait to start earning the British pound. All I’ve seen is money going out of my account so it’ll be nice to have some moolah coming in for a change…especially with the costs of living and all. Accommodation to say the least, can amount to a huge chunk of those expenses.

Speaking of which, finding a place to stay has been quite an emotional rollercoaster for me. I only organised accommodation for the first week – which was a cosey London terrace guesthouse in Hammersmith. I had lined up what I thought was going to be my more permanent home in Mayfair the following week but that was initially pushed back two days. So in the interim, I checked into a hostel at Shepherds Bush for 2 nights where I met a heap of Aussies (we’re everywhere I tell ya!) along with an array of other backpackers. Naturally, I took mini lessons from each and can now proudly say that I speak a little bit of French, Polish, Swedish, Spanish and German. I’d like to one day be that old lady who speaks over 20 languages who has soooo many interesting stories to tell!

So 1 guesthouse, 3 dorm rooms, 4 hotel rooms later and Im still without permanent accommodation! Ive grown attached to this Mayfair place and am willing to stick it out until I get the okay to move in – which means living out of a suitcase in the meantime.

Hopefully I’ll be able to report back with a more stable roof over my head.